"This is ridiculous, Sherlock. Your brother drags you all the way out here, threatening to throw you in prison if you refuse, then they tell us that we've got two hours to prevent a massive explosion that may or may not cause the death of thousands of people." John stopped, watching as Sherlock continued tossing his rubber ball in the air, catching it with his right hand as he rested the other beneath his head. They were sitting in what was intended to be Sherlock's room during his stay at the base, furnished only with a mattress paired with a steel bed frame and a desk in the opposite corner. John leaned against the far wall, tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling as Lestrade seated himself atop the desk. Molly stood by the door, shivering slightly as cold air blew in from the vent above. Sherlock tossed the ball again, catching it and this time holding it in his grasp.
"We're missing something."
"Of course we're missing something," Lestrade said, picking at a spot of paint on his shoe before looking up. "Where this bomb actually is. Which is why the numbers have to point us to a location somehow."
"But if this is a terrorist attack, why would they turn it into a game like this?" John said, catching Sherlock's eye. "Their goal wouldn't be to entertain themselves...it would be to kill as many people as discreetly as possible."
"Exactly," Sherlock said, sitting up and tossing the ball to the corner of the room. "We're thinking of the wrong sort of terrorist."
"So there's just some psychotic killer out there who happens to be intelligent enough to hack into the Ministry's network and plant a bomb somewhere all because he's bored?" Lestrade asked, glancing at John.
"No, he has a nobler cause than that," Sherlock said, biting his lip. "I just...don't know what."
"We need more information," Lestrade said, shaking his head.
"We need more time," John said, frustrated. There was a pause; John sighed as Sherlock dug his fingers into his scalp, staring at the linoleum tiling at his feet.
"What if we escaped?" Molly said quietly. Everyone looked up, puzzled frowns crossing John and Lestrade's faces. She glanced at Sherlock, who stared at her curiously. "What if we made them think we had left the base without clearance..." she said, holding his gaze. "Then somehow managed to get back in and finish solving this with the twenty-some hours we would have left, instead of..."
"...instead of being evacuated," Sherlock said slowly, a small smile finding its way to his face as he stood suddenly. "Molly, you're brilliant. You're absolutely brilliant." He crossed the room, reaching down for his ball and quickly slipping it back into his pocket.
"How?" John said, straightening as Sherlock stood next to him, reaching up towards the ceiling. He watched as Sherlock tapped a spot with his forefinger, digging into the chipped paint with his nails. "Don't tell me they've been listening to us this entire time..."
"No, not listening," Sherlock said, pulling out another camera pin and staring at it a moment. He watched its green light flash on and off, timing the interval in his head. "Watching." He tossed the pin on the floor, glancing at John and nodding towards the door. "Come on."
They filed out of the room, first Lestrade, followed by John. Sherlock stopped just before stepping through the door frame, reaching for Molly's face with his hand. He smiled for a moment, watching her expression change as he bent down, gently kissing her cheek. "Thank you, Molly." He turned around, sliding himself around the door to the outside wall, pulling her along with him as they waited against the wall behind John. Molly shook her head, surprised and more than slightly confused as she waited behind Sherlock, her nose touching the sleeve his thick gray coat. Sherlock counted in his head, meanwhile wondering why he had the sudden urge to turn and kiss Molly again. Though perhaps not on the cheek this time.
"Now," Sherlock said after about five seconds, pushing John forward into a run as they slid around the corner, leading them to another dimly lit corridor. Sherlock motioned for them to stop, counting again as they caught their breath.
"What are we doing, exactly?" John asked, glancing down both ends of the hallway.
"Escaping," Sherlock said, keeping his eyes locked on the space in front of him. "The camera cycle changes cameras every five seconds...andNOW," he said, pushing them forward as they took off down the corridor. They stopped by the door at the end, breathing heavily as Sherlock wrapped his fingers around the handle.
"Each camera cycle has three cameras, so as long as we're not under the surveillance of the one that's being monitored..." he paused, waiting one more second before opening the door, pulling Molly through before shutting it behind him. "Then we ought not to get caught."
"Unless you're just having a bad day," a familiar voice behind them said quietly, echoing off the hallway's thick walls. "And sometimes there's very little we can do about those things. Don't you think, Mr. Holmes?"